Quilting ... Hand

.....Hand quilting features evenly spaced, small stitches on both sides of the quilt with no knots showing on the backside.

Most quilters favor 100% cotton thread in ecru or white, though beautiful colors are available.

Beginners start with a size 8 or 9 "between" needle and advance to a shorter, finer size 10 or 12 needle for finer stitching. Use a well-fitting, puncture-proof thimble on the middle finger of your sewing hand to position and push the needle through the quilt layers.

A frame or hoop keeps the layered quilt smooth and taut; choose from a variety of shapes and sizes. Select a comfortable seat with proper back support and a good light source, preferably natural light, to reduce eye strain.

To begin, cut thread 24" long and make a knot on one end. Place the needle tip either into a seamline or 1/2" behind the point where quilting stitches are to begin and guide it through the batting and up through the quilt top to "bury" the knot. Gently pull on the thread until you hear the knot "pop" through the quilt top. Trim the thread tail.

To quilt using a running stitch, hold the needle parallel to the quilt top and stitch up and down through the three layers with a rocking motion, making several stitches at a time. This technique is called "stacking". Gently and smoothly pull the thread through the layers. To end, make a small knot and bury it in the batting.

Check out the free quilting lessons on McCallsQuilting.com! With downloadable PDFs and how-to videos, our experienced editors will help you with your quilting problem.

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